A Slightly Different End
by nameless and forgotten
Summary: What was to come, now that they were closing them the second time in five years? Set in 5x20 - The End; M/S


**A/N:** Set in 5x20 - The End; kind of an added scene but inspired by an alternative ending challenge.  
Oh & first part is transcript. So are the italicized spoken parts.

Comments are always appreciated

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

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_(MULDER's apartment. SCULLY sits at MULDER's desk on the phone. She looks exhausted. Beside her, MULDER is stretched out on the couch, his eyes closed, hands clasped on his chest. The room is dim. They are both dressed casually.) _

_**SCULLY:**__ (on phone) We knew there were risks going to the Attorney General. _

_**SKINNER:**__ (on phone, voice) You know what's coming down here. _

_**SCULLY:**__ (on phone) Yes, sir. _

_**SKINNER:**__ (on phone, voice) They're serious about this. _

_**SCULLY:**__ (on phone) I understand. _

_**SKINNER:**__ (on phone, voice) I assume you'll make Agent Mulder aware of this. _

_**SCULLY:**__ (on phone) Yes, I'm - I'm here with him now. _

_**SKINNER:**__ (on phone, voice) I'm making a case his personal involvement clouded his judgment but I don't know the Attorney General's listening. _

_**SCULLY:**__ (on phone) I'll communicate that to him. Is there anything else – any other news? _

_**SKINNER:**__ (on phone, voice) You should know Agent Spender's going after Mulder full bore. He's been reciting some line about "Alien Astronauts." It makes you both look real bad. _

_**SCULLY:**__ (on phone) Right. Well, I'll be here if you need to reach me. _

_**SKINNER:**__ (on phone, voice) I've got to get back in there. _

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Sighing softly, Scully hung up the phone. This wasn't the first time the X Files were being shut down, but they had gotten their second chance once already. What was to come, now that they were closing them the second time in five years? Was there even a future for their little nook in the FBI?

Before the questions in her mind could go any further, her partner's voice interrupted her thoughts. _"Any news on Diana?"_

At the name of her predecessor, Scully couldn't help but wince. She had silently confessed to her jealousy when she had talked to Gibson, but that didn't mean she had an explanation for that feeling. Professionally, Diana was posing no threat to her. When they first met, all she had felt was curiosity and only after Mulder's nerd friends had told her about the exact nature of their relationship, the green monster had first poked its head around the corner. The question that remained was why. She and Mulder had never been romantically linked and while there might have been something... a certain, well, chemistry, Scully had done her best at not thinking about him. Not that it always worked, but still – she had tried.

"_They have her on maximum pressers but she's barely maintaining her pressure."_ Another sigh escaped her lips, although this one was caused by worry for a fellow Agent. Nobody liked to see colleagues down, even if she still couldn't put her finger on the way she felt about Diana. All the reasons she had to dislike her were personal; she couldn't rationally hate the woman, just because she'd had a relationship with Mulder years ago, when Scully herself hadn't even come to terms with her feelings about her partner.

"_What did Skinner have to say?"_

"_There are talks going on right now about reassignment."_ It was hard to keep her voice from breaking, but Scully had had enough experience in keeping her guard up and she wouldn't let it down now. Not when nothing had even been decided yet.

Finally, Mulder turned and met her eye. _"For who?"_

"_Both of us."_ She paused briefly, looking down. It was hard to talk about the possible shut down of the X Files. They had, after all, become her baby, too, over the last five years._ "These talks included instructions from the Justice Department to close down the X-Files."_ How strange it felt to actually say it out loud, Scully mused sadly. It made everything sound so final, when no official decision had been made yet. Watching Mulder closely, she felt almost a little irritated at the lack of emotions showing on his face.

"_This was all strategized – every move. I just couldn't see it. It was all of a plan."_

A plan. Of course Mulder had to see some kind of conspiracy behind all this. Maybe it was true... but maybe it was just desperation shining through. The belief that someone was behind all of this, that there was a puppeteer developing strategies and playing them like pawns in one of Gibson's chess games was some sort of thread to cling onto. A behavioral pattern that Mulder showed rather often and sometimes... sometimes Scully almost envied his power to believe in these conspiracy. To see a greater meaning in everything that happened. No matter who was behind this all, they were still too powerful for two small FBI Agents to change anything about the current state of things.

"_Mulder, whatever you may believe, this time they may have won."_ As hard as it was to say it, it had to be said. Sometimes it was better to give up hope on things... Sometimes that was better than the disappointment when what you had hoped for didn't come true after all.

"Are you giving up on the X Files, Scully?"

Mulder's question rang in her ears and all of the sudden she felt her nose prickle, announcing that there would soon be tears rushing into her eyes. Her partner's words didn't hold any blame and yet they seemed to hurt her more than anything else she had heard today. "Maybe it's better not to pour your heart and soul into things you might not be able to save," she told him quietly, hoping that the tears that had gathered in her eyes wouldn't show in her voice.

"I'm not blaming you."

Biting her lower lip, Scully turned away from her partner, blinking rapidly to make her tears disappear. When that didn't work, she quickly brought her hand to her cheek, wiping away all trace of wetness with her slender fingers. "I know." Two simple words and still her voice was crumbling while she spoke them. Tears that had been wiped were quickly replaced by new ones, no matter how hard the red headed FBI Agent tried to make them stop. Covering her eyes with a pair of cold hands she propped herself up on her elbows, while the silence that seemed to surround her felt oddly deafening.

Time seemed to stand still for a while and the ban was only broken when she felt the soft squeeze of familiar fingers on her shoulders. Wiping away her tears once again, she finally turned to face Mulder. His face remained bare of emotions, except for his eyes that shared her sorrow. Wordlessly she got up from her chair and was soon embraced by two strong arms while her tears kept falling. They stood motionlessly for a while, until Scully's tears had finally subsided and the breathing of one had adjusted to the other's.

Scully felt the warmth of his skin seek through the barriers of clothing and, tightening her grip on Mulder, the thought that she wanted to remain like this forever briefly crossed her mind. More than once she had caught herself enjoying her partner's proximity a little too much, but for the moment, it was enough to make everything at least a little better. She breathed in his scent deeply and allowed her mind to wander. How could anyone be that close to Mulder and not think about _what if_? Nobody had ever denied he was attractive and she was just a woman after all. The thought of his lips on hers was oh so tempting for her, but the risk... the risk was too high. Even now, that their official partnership on the X Files had most likely been ended, there were still the bonds of friendship and respect that could very well be torn apart by one stupid mistake. Yet she still found herself unable to stop.

She felt her heart beat rapidly in her chest, but as she listened closely, Mulder's almost seemed to match its pace. Slowly lifting her head, she locked eyes with her partner who, at the same time, had turned his head downwards. Lips only inches away from the other's, Scully felt his hot breath on her face and her heartbeat quickened even more. Squeezing her eyes shut, she rose to her tiptoes, closing the last remaining distance between herself and Mulder.

The moment their lips met, barely touching yet, the shrill and unwanted sound of the telephone ringing made them jerk apart. Scully stared at her partner, eyes wide with shock? arousal? something else altogether? while he awkwardly cleared his throat and moved to pick up the receiver. Scully remained frozen, barely noticing the change of Mulder's facial expressions. Only once he hung up, she blinked and looked at him again.

"They burned down our office."

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The drive to the headquarters had been silent. In her mind, Scully saw the (almost?) kiss repeated in her mind over and over again until she started to wonder if their lips had met at all. It had been a single fleeting moment – less than the blink of an eye – and still it had a greater impact on Scully's mind than she would have thought. As they came closer to their office building, the ashes of the X Files started to take over her thoughts and she decided that, as long as Mulder didn't feel the need to talk, the kiss would be forgotten. It was one vulnerable moment and could probably not even be called a kiss. Nothing worth remembering.

At the moment, the files were more important. She didn't know what Skinner had told her partner exactly, but judging from the look on Mulder's face as spoke had told her enough. Bracing herself for the worst, she followed him into the building, where they were not only met by Skinner but also by at least a dozen firemen. As the assistant director helplessly called out his Agent's name, Mulder had already made his way to the stairs. Scully shared a concerned look with Skinner, but felt rather at a loss of words before she quickly walked along the same path her partner had taken.

Once she reached their basement office, the smell of burnt paper and plastic mixed with the cool wetness of the firemen's attempt to save the small room's contents. In vain, it seemed.

Scully looked around in shock, feeling chills run up her spine as she took in the charred office furniture, still dripping with water. Mulder had remained still, not making a single sound as she stepped forwards to examine his desk a little closer. Soaked paper and coal black wood... There was nothing to be saved from here. Everything gone, all the files destroyed beyond repair... Her work and Mulder's life. Ruined just like that.

Examining the burn pattern on the once white walls, her eyes caught Mulder's trademark poster. Almost miraculously, it appeared to have survived the fire, the only battle wounds it bore being two burn marks on the bottom and the left side. Reading the familiar words "I Want to Believe", the hint of a smile appeared on her lips and she turned around to find that Mulder had made the same discovery.

It had to be a sign, she thought, stepping towards Mulder and once again being wrapped in a tight embrace. The truth was still out there and their search for it would continue, no matter how many obstacles were obstructing their path.

**The End**


End file.
